Long Hot Summer
by KattyKit2003
Summary: The staff of Waterloo Road have their end of year night out, but what repercussions will develop from this? Reddie
1. Chapter 1

It was that time of year again; the summer holidays, six whole weeks of bliss, and no more early mornings. The staff of Waterloo Road had been at least as excited as the students when the bell had rung at the end of the school day and everyone had dashed outside to the glorious freedom, the seemingly endless stretch of summer that lay before them. Inside the building, members of staff were clearing out desks and packing away their things, chattering excitedly to one another about the end of term do that evening. Steph had arranged the party as usual, and the plan was simple, just a meal in the local pub and then on into town. Everyone was attending, a final night altogether before going off on various holidays.

In the maths department, Eddie had just finished getting ready and was bending down to pick up the boxes of things he had accumulated over the year when he heard a voice near the door. Rachel stood there looking, in his opinion, as stunning as usual, and he blushed at the thought. She looked relaxed and in the mood for summer already. "You look ready for the holidays" she joked to Eddie. "Funny that, I was thinking just the same about you" he replied with a grin. "You looking forward to the party tonight then?" "Are you kidding" she replied, "I can't wait. I need to let my hair down after the stress of the final few weeks, as I'm sure we all do. See you down the pub, first round's on me". "Brilliant" said Eddie, smiling to himself at how much more relaxed and self confident she had become around him this year as their friendship had deepened. "I'll see you there then". As she turned and strode back down the corridor, a face appeared at the other end, also carrying a huge cardboard box. "You ready to head off then Eddie?" Asked Melissa. "Just coming now" he replied. "What did Rachel want with you? It's the holidays now, she can leave you alone for a few weeks" said Melissa. "Give her a break" said Eddie, "she was just wishing us a happy holiday, and reminding me that the first round is on her tonight. Come on, let's get this stuff home and get ready, I'm looking forward to a good night out". "Yeah, me too" replied Melissa, "come on then".

Three hours later, Rachel was preparing to leave the house. She glanced at her appearance in the mirror for what felt like the millionth time, smoothing down her hair and checking her skirt wasn't too short. She looked stunning in her high-waisted pencil skirt teamed with a sheer sleeveless blouse and knee-high boots, her sexy slim figure accentuated to perfection by the belt she had fastened around her waist. With a final slick of lipstick she left the house and got into the waiting taxi, giving the name of the pub and settling down in the back seat wondering just what the evening would bring.

On the other side of town, Eddie was stood at the bottom of the stairs, keys in hand. "Come on Melissa, honestly, why do you girls always take so long to get ready?" "Because we have more hair than you and need to worry about important things like getting our makeup right." She retorted. "Well I suppose it's worth it in the end, you look lovely" he complimented her, taking in her short floral dress and cardigan with her fab new chunky wedges he had been hearing about for weeks. "Lets go then, don't want to be the last ones there". And they headed out the door for the short walk to the local pub.

As Rachel entered the pub, she saw that her colleagues had taken over a large booth on the opposite side. Everyone was already here. Trust her to get a taxi driver who had no idea where he was going! "Oi Rachel, what happened to you getting the first round in" yelled Melissa from her seat in the corner, sitting way to close to Eddie for Rachel's liking "We're all dying of thirst over here!" "Very funny" she shouted back heading for the bar "A large white wine please, and the same again for that lot over there" she instructed the barman. Rachel was invited to sit next to Steph, much to her delight, which resulted in her being directly opposite Eddie throughout their meal. "Sorry!" they exclaimed togeher as they reached for the salt at the same time and their fingers brushed together. They pulled apart after as electric shock shot up their arms, causing Rachel to blush furiously and Melissa to glare at her.

Melissa wasn't stupid. She knew that Rachel had feelings for Eddie. It was obvious from the way they looked at each other across the staff room, and whispered quietly together in the corner. She also suspected that Eddie may have feelings for Rachel. Still, she remained quietly confident that she could keep her man. After all, it was her Eddie had chosen, her who he was marrying and her who he was living with. Surely he couldn't have gone through all of that if he was in love with Rachel? No, definitely not. Rachel would just have to learn to live with the fact that Melissa was with Eddie now and it was going to remain that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel blushed and looked away quickly. Why was she so awkward with Eddie in situations like this? Why couldn't she just laugh it off and steal the salt from him like she would have done in the past? She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure why Eddie was suddenly illiciting feelings within her that she hadn't felt in a long time, or why his touch had made her blush and feel so awkward and childish. She was also aware of the glares Melissa kept giving her whenever she and Eddie needed a private moment. He was after all her deputy and they would obviously have matters that they needed to discuss together as part of their jobs. Melissa was just jealous of Eddie talking to any woman Rachel concluded. She couldn't possibly be aware of her feelings for him. She wasn't entirely sure herself that she had feelings for him anyway, they had become much closer as friends as they had worked together this year, something which she had been very grateful for. When Eddie and Melissa had got together not long after Melissa started, Rachel had forced herself to be happy for them and eventually got used to their relationship. She was glad to have Eddie as a close friend and colleague and concluded that any feelings he had for her at the start of term must have long since faded, after all, how could Eddie feel anything for her whilst he was in a relationship with her younger, prettier more fun loving sister? They were living together and getting married no less! No, she thought, definitely not. She decided to push all thoughts of Eddie to the back of her mind and concentrate on enjoying her evening.

Eddie watched Rachel as she sat quietly and looked steadfastly down at her plate. He could see the pink in her cheeks, she looked so beautiful when she blushed, and wondered whether she had felt it too? He had had feelings for Rachel now for as long as he could remember; possibly since the day she had entered the school. Sure, they hadn't got along brilliantly to start with, but he recognised now that he had been jealous of her at first. She was, after all, a woman who had walked straight into the job he had thought would be his own with her elaborate plans to change the school. Eddie had tried his best to be disagreeable and not support her plans, but in the end he had realised that her ideas were good sound ones that would change Waterloo Road for the better. Deciding to forget his grudges and work alongside her, he had fallen in love with her as their friendship and working partnership had developed.

After the fire and other events that had occurred this time last year, some of that closeness had faded between them, but after spending another year in one another's company they had forged a good working relationship and what he felt had become a deep friendship. He realised now that on the first day of term in September had been much too early to try to rekindle the spark they had felt before the fire, Rachel had still been far too fragile and definitely not ready for any sort of relationship and he had blown any chance he had of them getting together. He had decided to banish any ideas of this kind from his mind and concentrate on her getting better and feeling more at home at school, her school, once again.

It had worked too, they maintained their effective partnership at work, and Waterloo Road had thrived this year, making sufficient improvements on last years results. And of course, not long after the start of the school year Melissa had joined the staff and given Eddie something else to occupy his mind. She was beautiful, outgoing and full of self-confidence, and Eddie had found her attractive from the start. He had felt bad about his behaviour towards her on her first day after finding out she and Rachel were sisters, and had taken her out for a drink as a way of apologising and making an effort to get to know her. And get to know her he certainly did. They got along so well and had a lot of fun together, and their relationship had snowballed quickly until they were living together and engaged to be married after just a few short months. Eddie had put the brakes on there however and realised it was all moving too fast, so now, at the end of the year, they were living quite comfortably together, along with Phil and were perfectly happy. He just didn't want to rush into anything he had told himself, they had all the time in the world. His slowing down of events had had nothing to do with his dormant feelings for Rachel, no indeed, nothing at all.

"Eddie… Eddie, are you with us mate" Tom's voice broke into his reverie and Eddie realised he had been asked a question. Pulling himself back down to earth, he stole a glance at Rachel, who was taking a long sip of wine and looking very interested in something Steph was saying, before giving Tom his full attention and joining in with the conversation. He was going to snap out of it and enjoy the evening with his friends and colleagues.


	3. Chapter 3

The evening was going well and Rachel thought to herself on more than one occasion that she should socialise with her staff more often. Although she supposed she should stop referring to them as 'her staff' if she was planning on doing that! She had actually had quite interesting conversations with Steph, Jasmine and Davina and was surprised how much they all had to talk about after a few glasses of wine. Come to think about it, Rachel had had quite a few now. She was feeling a little light headed and in need of fresh air, and so was grateful when someone suggested they drink up here and order taxi's into town. She hadn't intended to join the others in town, planning on making her excuses after the pub and heading home, but found that she was enjoying herself so much she was going to make a night of it. After downing their drinks, Rachel, Eddie, Melissa, Tom, Davina, Jasmine, Matt and Steph were all crowded around the pub entrance deciding who was going to share which taxi. Rachel groaned to herself as she realised that she would be sharing the last cab with Eddie and Melissa, just what she needed. She had managed not to think about them at all for the past few hours as she had been engrossed in conversation while Mel and Eddie were talking with Tom and a few of the others. She would have their relationship flaunted in front of her now however, as Melissa already had her arms wrapped around Eddies neck as they stood and waited.

As they set off for some bar or other that Steph and Matt had decided upon due to the Karaoke that always took place there on a Friday night, Rachel, Melissa and Eddie climbed into their taxi. Rachel took the front seat next to the driver and rolled her eyes as she heard Melissa gigging in the back. Mel had had quite a few drinks by the look of her and was already well past the slightly tipsy mark. Eddie had his arm wrapped around her, more to keep her stable than for any other purpose at the moment, and Melissa was clinging on to him for dear life, enjoying the closeness to her boyfriend and hoping this would just reinforce to Rachel which sister it was that Eddie was in love with. She didn't want to lose him after all.

Upon arriving at the bar, they located the rest of their colleagues congregated around a karaoke requests book and filling in slips 'ready to get their party started in style' as Matt had put it. Melissa joined in eagerly while Eddie and Rachel stood on the sidelines, neither of them to keen on the public humiliation that would follow if they attempted to sing. "Good night Rach?" Eddie asked. Rachel flushed and hoped he couldn't tell in the dim light of the bar, she loved it when he shortened her name, no one else ever called her Rach, well except Melissa, and it sent a small shiver down her spine. She grinned back up at him. "You know, I'm really enjoying myself actually. I had expected to be at home by now, but I'm having a great time. How about you?" "Me too" he agreed, "It's nice to get everyone together and chill out away from school stress. Looks like Mel's enjoying herself too. She's certainly been enjoying the wine!" "Yeah, I had noticed," agreed Rachel with a forced grin, noticing that he had also fondly shortened her sister's name. "She never did know when to stop. Still, as long as were all having fun. There's no way you'll catch me on that Karaoke though!" "Well I'm certainly with you on that one" replied Eddie with a laugh, "I can't sing for Toffee!"

Just then the DJ's voice broke into their conversation, and Rachel's expression turned to one of horror when she realised it was her name he was calling. Before she had time to respond, Melissa had grabbed her hand and was dragging her up to the stage. "What is going on?" she hissed at her sister, "you know I don't do karaoke." "Oh lighten up Rach, it's a bit of fun, besides, I'll be up there with you!" "Great" Rachel said, but it was too late now she realised, as she looked up and found herself facing a crowd of her staff with the DJ thrusting a mic into her hand and the first few bars of "sisters doing it for themselves" blared out of the sound system. 'Oh God!'

As Rachel heard Melissa blast out the first few notes of the song and saw the grins on her colleagues faces, she relaxed a little, remembering that Melissa herself was a much worse singer than Rachel. With the next line of the song, she let her inhibitions go and joined in at full volume, her and Melissa dancing together and entertaining their assembled crowd of friends. There was one member of staff in particular who couldn't keep his eyes off Rachel up there on the stage. Eddie was angry at Melissa for dragging Rachel up there against her will, but as he watched her join in with the singing, reluctantly at first, he saw a transformation come over her as she relaxed and began to enjoy herself. He had never seen her look so carefree and it most definitely suited her. Her eyes shone, she almost seemed to glow up there on the stage, and she looked completely beautiful to Eddie. He laughed at the two of them dancing around together, having a great time and not caring about the fact they were actually almost completely tone deaf! As the song came to an end, the two women climbed down from the stage and were enveloped in hugs from their laughing colleagues. Melissa and Steph ran for the bar to top up their drinks before Steph and Matts turn on the stage, and Eddie placed his arm in the small of Rachel's back to get her attention. A tingle ran down her spine at the touch and she turned to find him standing close beside her so she could hear him over the music. "I could be fooled into thinking you enjoyed that," he said with a laugh. "Much more than I expected to," she replied with a grin, "I'm having a really great time tonight Eddie." "Me too" he replied giving her a quick squeeze before turning away and heading for the bar. He didn't know what had made him put his arm around her, but he knew that the physical contact between them had been almost unbearable to him. He wanted to hold her close to him, to feel her heart beating next to his, to take her in his arms and kiss her deeply and never let her go. But he couldn't he reminded himself, it was too late for him and Rachel now, and he had Melissa, his beautiful fun loving fiancée.

Rachel shivered as Eddie moved away from her, feeling suddenly cold now she didn't have his warmth resting against her side. She had loved the feeling of his arm resting on the small of her back, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of her neck as he leaned in to speak to her. She hadn't wanted it to end, could have stood there forever, leaning on him for support as she supposed she had done all year. But she and Eddie had missed their chance, she realised that now. Things had moved on so much since the start of the year. She could see how happy Eddie and Mel were together and she was trying her best to be happy for them too. But still as she turned around to look for her colleagues and caught sight of Eddie now standing at the bar with Melissa, resting his hand on her shoulder as he leant in to speak with her, Rachel felt the familiar jolt of jealousy flood through her. Her heart seemed to contract and she had to make an effort to stop her eyes filling with tears. She wanted Eddie so much, turning him down on he first day of the year had been the most stupid thing she had ever done. She shook her head in attempt to clear her thoughts; it was too late now, she had to accept it and be happy for the couple she couldn't take her eyes off. Sighing, she forced a smile and turned around again to speak with Tom, laughing as Steph and Matt took to the stage to give the all a rendition of "I got you babe".


	4. Chapter 4

It was getting late now, the time was well past midnight, and Rachel couldn't believe she was actually in a nightclub. This was something she hadn't done in years; usually due to the fact she was scared she would run into some of her students! There were only herself, Matt and Steph, Eddie and Melissa left in the group, everyone else having made their excuses and retreated back home to the comfort of their beds. Indeed, Rachel herself had been preparing to find a taxi and call it a night. She was here because of the man standing close next to her near the side of the dance floor, the man she could never quite bring herself to refuse.

Eddie was similar to herself, slightly more conservative than the remaining members of the group, and had also been ready to leave at the mention of a club. But Melissa was of course having too much of a good time, and he couldn't leave her to make her way home by herself in the state she and Steph had managed to drink themselves into. So he'd begged Rachel to join them, saying that he would really be in need of some adult conversation inside the club. He was feeling quite drunk himself by now and was, he had to admit, enjoying the evening immensely. It wasn't very often these days that he got to spend any quality time with Rachel as they had done before Melissa's arrival, particularly outside of school. So while Mel partied hard with Steph and Matt on the dance floor, he was enjoying the secluded corner nearby that he and Rachel had found to share a quiet conversation.

In the hour that they had been left to their own devices, the two most senior members of staff had relaxed in each other's company, sharing their own thoughts and opinions on any topic that came into mind. The only subject banned from conversation this evening was school. As they gradually began to get to know one another again, they found that they had much in common from books and films to their favourite holiday destinations. Eddie couldn't help but compare these interests with those he shared with Melissa, which were admittedly very limited. They had been arguing only this week about where to go on holiday over the summer, Mel wanting to go to a relaxing all inclusive beach resort, whereas Eddie knew he would be bored of this after just a few days and wanted a holiday where there was more going on. As he and Rachel shared stories of trips to Barcelona and New York, and Rachel mentioned that she would love to visit Venice this summer but had thought better of visiting one of the most romantic cities in the world on her own, the couple gazed into each other's eyes, both secretly wishing they could be visiting that city with the other.

As Rachel stared dreamily into Eddie's eyes, she noticed their proximity and shivered with delight, enjoying the contact the left side of her body was sharing with his right. The alcohol she had consumed tonight had somewhat lowered her inhibitions and thoughts of her sister and her relationship with Eddie were well hidden at the back of her mind. After all, Mel had deserted what Rachel considered to be one of the most perfect guys in the world to go and dance with her friends, so Rachel reasoned she had every right to keep him company in the meantime. Glancing around the room, she noted that the club had now become so crowded that she could no longer see Mel and the others on the dance floor, and she remained happily ensconced in her corner, her little bubble which, for tonight at least, contained only enough space for Eddie and herself.

As Eddie leaned in to whisper in Rachel's ear again, he felt her shudder in delight at the contact between them as his slight stubble brushed against her skin. Oh how he wished he could make her feel like this all the time. He too felt that for the last hour the rest of the world had ceased to exist and it had just been he and Rachel enjoying their time together contentedly. He only realised how late the hour had become when he noticed that the music had begun to slow down, and couples all over the dance floor had come together for the last dance. He noticed Steph half way across the dance floor, with some blond guy about half her age, but could not see Mel or Matt anywhere. As the final song of the night struck up over the sound system, he hesitantly moved his arm from where it had been resting along the shelf behind Rachel and placed it gently around her shoulders, drawing her towards him, determined to prolong their time together, just the two of them, for a few more minutes before it was back to reality.

Rachel once again shuddered in delight as she felt Eddie's warm skin make contact with hers, marvelling at the effect these simple touches and brushes of fingers were having upon her this evening. As he drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her, she stiffened, an image of Melissa dancing before her eyes for a split second, before relaxing into his embrace, determined to remain as carefree as she had all evening and enjoy these last moments of her time together with Eddie. She held on tight, clasping her arms around his neck as his snaked around her waist, and resting her head on his chest, letting the lyrics of the song drift through her mind…

_Baby you're all that I want.  
When you're lying here in my arms  
I'm finding it hard to believe  
We're in heaven._

Eddie marvelled at how true the lyrics were to the situation he currently found himself in. This was all he had longed for, for so long, to feel this beautiful, remarkable woman's body close to his, wrapped in his arms. When he had dreamt about this moment, it had indeed felt like heaven, and he was finding it very difficult to believe that it was happening to him, to them, right now, and that it could feel even better in reality.

_Now, nothing can change what you mean to me.  
There's a lot that I could say  
But just hold me now,  
Cause our love will light the way._

Rachel pulled herself closer to Eddie's body, revelling in the contact between them, and knowing that nothing could ever change what he meant to her. She just wanted him to hold her close, for the moment to last forever, here in his arms, she felt like she belonged and berated herself once again for letting him go at the beginning of the year. She loved him, she finally admitted to herself in their secluded corner of the club, but she held back a tear as she realised this perfect moment of pure heaven could not last forever. Soon the song would be over and reality would come crashing down around them. Eddie would be going home, back to her sister while she went to bed in her empty house.

_And love is all that I need  
And I found it there in your heart.  
It isn't too hard to see  
We're in heaven._

As the final lyrics washed over the couple, Eddie held Rachel at arms length and stared deeply into her beautiful dark eyes, so different from her sisters. He saw the conflicting emotions there swimming in her eyes, and his heart broke as he noticed a solitary tear tracing a path down her smooth cheek. He knew in that momnent that he still loved her, was doubtful that he had ever stopped. Realising that Rachel could be having similar thoughts of regret and wistfulness as those spinning around in his own mind, he slowly leant in and brushed his lips slightly against the side of her cheek, kissing away that single tear betraying her true feelings to him. At the contact, both of their bodies suddenly felt as though an electric current was passing through them. Rachel turned her head slightly to stare once again into Eddie's chocolate brown pools that were the windows to his sole, and with the now even closer proximity, neither of them could hold back any longer. Still staring into each other's eyes, their lips gravitated towards each other, both of their minds filled with nothing but thoughts of the person stood before them and how long they had waited for this moment. And with just millimetres of space left between them, the music stopped and the glaring over head lights came on in the club, exposing the couple in the corner more than they were comfortable with, causing them to come back to their senses and jump quickly apart, trying not to look guilty as Melissa came into view in search of Eddie and a ride home after their long night.

[lyrics taken from DJ Sammy's 'Heaven']


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning Eddie awoke to a pounding headache. He hadn't had such a heavy night out in ages and was paying the price for it now. He looked to his left to where Melissa would normally be lying and was astonished she was up before him. Then he thought back and remembered leaving her passed out on the sofa the night before. He had slept fitfully, his dreams haunted by Rachel once again, which hadn't been happening as much lately. He figured it must have been triggered by the amount of time they had spent in each other's company the night before. Thinking back to the time they had spent in the nightclub together, he remembered how close he had felt to her, how good it had felt to actually spend some time alone with her again, and then when he had taken her in his arms and pulled her close for that last dance it had felt like heaven. He knew he shouldn't be feeling like this, he thought he had begun to get over his obsession with Rachel, helped along by his relationship with Melissa, but last night had made him realise that he was far from over her. Perhaps he was even still in love with her. Then again maybe it was just the alcohol. He was so confused, and this headache really wasn't helping. Eddie forced himself out of bed with a groan and stumbled to the bathroom in search of some much needed aspirin.

On the other side of Rochdale, Rachel was sat in her kitchen with a slice of toast, a glass of orange juice and the morning paper. She had always been a morning person and the morning after a night out was no exception, although she felt it was getting slightly harder as she was getting older. Re-reading the line of text she had just read for about the twentieth time, she gave up on the newspaper and submitted to her thoughts, which were once again consumed with Eddie. She had had a fantastic time with him last night, had enjoyed having him all to herself for a change like it used to be, without Melissa always lurking on the side lines. They had enjoyed some uninterrupted, quality time together and had a chance to actually talk to one another, find out how they were feeling, what they had been up to, their likes and dislikes, and the time had flown by.

Rachel thought now about the end of the night, alone in the corner in the nightclub. She had felt herself getting closer to Eddie all night, the slightest contact between them making her shiver in delight and tingle all over. She knew it was wrong to feel like this about him; after all he was her sisters fiancé. He had clearly gotten over her a long time ago, after she had so cruelly dismissed his feelings and advances at the beginning of the year. But Rachel thought she had seen something in his eyes last night, after he had pulled her so close and held her tightly, dancing while nobody was watching, away from the crowded dance floor, in a world that for those few minutes just contained the two of them. When he had pulled away and stared into her eyes for those long moments, trying to decipher the feelings that were swimming there, she had been terrified she would give herself away, that he would be able to read exactly how she was feeling. Whilst trying to hide from his penetrating gaze, she had been taken aback by the look in his eyes; his emotions were clearly in turmoil. She had seen him look at her like that before, what felt like a very long time ago, in the entrance to the pub on the first night of the year when he had tried to tell her how he felt. She had pushed him away that night, but last night she had felt differently. Whether it was the alcohol she had consumed that had given her more confidence or something else she couldn't quite put her finger on, she had felt drawn to Eddie. There was a pull between them and the gentle feather light kiss he had applied to her cheek when he had noticed her escaped tear was the final straw.

Gazing once more into his eyes at such close proximity, she hadn't been able to deny her feelings for him any longer, and she knew that if the lights hadn't come up right then signalling the end of the evening and of their time together, she would have been in his arms, kissing him like there was no tomorrow, and once she started she wouldn't have been able to stop. Thinking about it now, in her lonely kitchen hours later, Rachel felt guilty, almost repulsed with herself even. This was her sister's fiancé she was fantasizing about, this was wrong. How could he even begin to think Eddie could still have feelings for her when he had her beautiful sister to go home to? No, it must have just been the alcohol making him act that way, and the way they had been reminiscing together for a time. Rachel was just glad that she didn't have to see him at school today, or indeed any other day for the next six weeks. It would give her time to get her head together and get over what she thought had happened last night.

As Rachel held her head in her hands and closed her eyes though, all she could see were Eddies eyes boring into hers as they had last night. She couldn't have mistaken that look she had seen there could she? The longing, and maybe also the love that had been held behind that gaze? One thing was for sure, she didn't intend to find out any time soon. Rachel Mason was not a home wrecker, and she certainly wasn't even going to entertain the thought of any sort of relationship with her sister's fiancé.


	6. Chapter 6

The first week of the summer holidays was drawing to a close, and as Rachel Mason sat at her breakfast bar with her morning cup of coffee, she realised that she was already bored. She hated time off work; time that she felt could be put to much better use at school. She had brought home a pile of paperwork that needed doing before the first day of the new year and had spent a few hours on that, but even that was beginning to bore her. Whilst she loved her job at Waterloo Road, Rachel couldn't help feeling that her life had slowly turned into one huge pile of paperwork. She missed the classroom sometimes, and the opportunities it presented to interact with the students more. She was jealous of Eddie and his role in the school, as he still taught several lessons a week whilst also having a managerial role and a say in the running of the school.

Rachel scolded herself at this train of thought, back to Eddie again. He had been on her mind all week, ever since their near kiss in the nightclub. She was glad that they weren't in school at the moment, as she didn't know how she would react to working in such close proximity to him after what had happened. It was driving her mad, not knowing what his reaction would have been, what he was thinking. Melissa had turned up so immediately after it happened she hadn't even looked him in the eye since. Was he even thinking about her at all? Or was it just a drunken mistake? She desperately wanted to see him, speak to him. How else could she gauge his reaction? This last week had been hell constantly thinking about him, not knowing how he was feeling. But how was she going to orchestrate a meeting between them? She would need an excuse and she didn't want to start getting caught up in webs of lies or any of that nonsense. And what on earth would she say to him if she did see him? After all, there was nothing going on between her and Eddie. The whole situation was getting far too confusing for her liking, she would just have to try her best to forget about him.

Hearing a noise in the hallway, Rachel picked up her cup of coffee and carried it through to her living room, stopping in the hall to pick up the post that had just arrived. Placing her mug on the coffee table, she leafed through the mail in her hand. It looked like the usual rubbish, a couple of bills, an advert for sky and several takeaway menu's, but a small pink envelope at the bottom of the pile, addressed to her in unfamiliar script caught her eye. Upon opening the envelope Rachel found inside a small card inviting her to celebrate a 70th birthday. She couldn't think for the life of her who she knew who would be 70 soon, and opened up the card, her mind filled with curiosity. The card was addressed to Rachel and partner, and she realised as she read the message inside that it was from her cousin Julie, inviting her to her Auntie Gladys' party. It had been years since Rachel had been in touch with any of her family, and she suddenly felt guilty. Gladys was her father's sister, and back in the days that Rachel hated to even think of now, when her mother had thrown her out of the house and she had been forced into prostitution to pay the bills on her tiny bed-sit, she had always been there for her. Rachel had been able to rely on Auntie Gladys for a good warm meal and a chat when she was running seriously low on funds. She turned over the card and found that the party was to be held a week on Saturday at a hotel she had never heard of in Bristol, where the family had moved years ago. It was a long journey, and she would have to make a weekend of it, but it would be worth it to see her cousin and her auntie again, it had been far too long.

Deciding that she would check out the hotel on the internet later and try to book a room, Rachel switched on the television to see what was on. She wasn't used to watching much daytime TV, and flicking mindlessly through the channels, she came across nothing of interest. Just as she was thinking about getting dressed and ready for the day she was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

"Hi big sis," came Melissa's voice down the line, "How are you?"

Rachel made small talk with her sister for a few minutes, asking how her holidays were going so far, and then cringing and wishing she hadn't as Melissa began to describe in great detail how romantic Eddie had been the Wednesday before. He had whisked her off to Blackpool for the day as a surprise whilst the weather was nice, knowing that it had been one of her favourite places to go as a child. She described in great detail how they had ridden on the big dipper together and walked along the beach, before stopping off for fish and chips on the way home. Rachel's heart sank. Eddie clearly wasn't thinking about her at all. Why would he be when he could spend the summer with Melissa, who he was obviously in love with if he was coming up with treats like this for her.

"So anyway", Melissa said eventually, "the reason I rang was to ask if you had been invited to Aunt Gladys' birthday party."

"I have actually yes", Rachel replied, "I've just been reading the card. Are you going?"

"Yes, the three of us are going to go down, probably make a weekend of it as it's quite far away. That's what I wanted to ask you. See I just rang the hotel that the party is in to see if they had any rooms left, and they said they have one double and a twin. So we were thinking it would work out quite well if we booked the double for me and Eddie and then the twin room for you and Phil, he says he doesn't mind sharing with you as long as you're ok with it? And it's only for two nights. So what do you think Rach?"

"Erm… well to be honest it sounds like you have it all worked out. I was thinking about making a weekend of it myself, I haven't seen any of the family in such a long time, so yeah, why not. As long as Phil will definitely be ok about us sharing a room."

"Phew, I was hoping you'd say that" said Melissa with a giggle, "as I've already booked the rooms, didn't want to risk someone else getting in there first. So we'll travel down Friday morning, we can check in from midday and the hotel has a rather nice looking spa I'd like to try out before the party. Eddie says he doesn't mind driving, so it's all sorted"

"Like I said, sounds like you've got it all worked out Mel. I'll just have to go shopping this week probably; I've no idea what to wear. I'll see you next Friday then eh?"

"Yep, sounds great. Have a good week Rach"

"Bye Melissa"

Rachel hung up the phone and groaned. Spending the entire weekend with Eddie and Melissa was not what she had anticipated when she had first thought about the party. It would be awful having to watch the two of them together. But she was looking forward to seeing her Aunt again, and her cousin who had been just as much of a sister to her as Mel had when they were growing up. And it gave her an excuse to go shopping, which would alleviate the boredom somewhat for one day at least.


	7. Chapter 7

Eddie Lawson grunted as he heaved a huge pink suitcase into the boot of his car. What on earth Melissa had in there was beyond him. They were only going away for two nights, but knowing her she probably had about half a dozen outfits complete with shoes and accessories 'just in case'! Placing his and Phil's moderately sized holdalls beside the case he closed the boot with a sigh. Eddie wasn't looking forward to this weekend in the slightest. He wasn't the biggest fan of parties, particularly when he would hardly know any of the people there, and had tried to get out of attending this one. He had told Melissa that she and Phil should go together and have a good time with their family, but she wouldn't hear of it. The invitation had been addressed to Melissa and partner and she couldn't wait to show off her partner in front of her whole family, to show them that they were a proper couple, proving that he truly was hers. She had been very excited about the prospect of a party and had spent hours poring over catalogues and trawling around shops looking for the perfect outfit. Eddie had accompanied her the first time, but after being dragged around the Trafford Centre for 5 hours and watching her try on what felt like hundreds of dresses, which all looked lovely on her in his opinion, he had admitted defeat and told her she would have to choose on her own. Melissa had sulked, but he had known that she would actually prefer this than have him moaning around for hours on end.

Eddie stuck his head through the front door to call Mel and Phil and let them know he was ready to leave and let Rachel know they were on their way. Walking back towards the car, he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach at the mere thought of Rachel. This had been the part of the weekend he was both dreading the most and looking forward to with an unnatural anticipation. It was two weeks since he had last seen her, and he hadn't heard a peep from her since. Whilst they didn't usually spend much time together outside of school, they would normally have exchanged a few friendly texts by now, just to see how the other was and if they were enjoying the holidays. But this holiday, communication between them was conspicuous only by its absence. He hadn't had a text or a phone call, and whilst he knew Melissa had spoken to her a few times about this weekend, she hadn't really shared what they had discussed with him. Despite this fact though, Rachel had been constantly on his mind ever since the end of year party. He had spent much of the first few days in a daze and knew he hadn't been paying Melissa much attention. Feeling guilty for this, and also the fact he had left her lying on the couch all night after their night out, he had decided to treat her to a day out in Blackpool, a place he knew she loved from her childhood holidays. Melissa had had a brilliant time. They had gone on the fair, ridden in a horse and carriage and eaten fish and chips, but all the time Eddie's mind had still been on Rachel.

Why hadn't she called him or even sent a text? He had felt so close to her in the nightclub that night and he'd thought that she had felt the same way. He'd seen the look in her eyes at he end of the night as they had almost kissed, and he was sure he had seen every feeling he was experiencing mirrored in her perfect smouldering dark eyes. But since then… absolutely nothing. He had no idea how she was feeling. Perhaps he had misread the signals completely, maybe he had scared her off, or worse still, perhaps it had been an alcohol-fuelled mistake on her part and she didn't want anything to do with him any more. It was killing Eddie not knowing what she was thinking or feeling, or even how she was. He hoped he would get more of a chance to talk to her this weekend and spend some time with her. But what if his doubts were right and she didn't want to know? What could he do then? And what about Melissa? They'd had an enjoyable time together so far during the holidays; he couldn't deny that he enjoyed her company. He would never willingly do anything to hurt her feelings; he respected her far too much for that. But Eddie was beginning to feel that this was as far as his feelings for Melissa went, those of friendship and respect. Since his feelings for Rachel had re-emerged these last few weeks they had begun to consume him, and nothing could compare to these feelings. They were becoming too strong to deny, and he didn't know what on earth to do about it. How was he going to react when he saw Rachel again? As Melissa and Phil walked out of the house, Phil closing and locking the door behind them, he realised he was about to find out.


	8. Chapter 8

Rachel paced the hallway frantically. She had been packed since last night and been dreading this moment ever since. She had been like this all morning so far, feeling twitchy and unable to settle, and since Melissa had text her five minutes ago to say they were on their way to pick her up, it had got even worse. She felt butterflies stir in the pit of her stomach at the thought. This would mean she would have to see Eddie again for this first time since school had broken up for the summer. They hadn't exchanged so much as a text message and now she was going to have to endure a four hour drive in the same confined space as him, with Melissa and Phil alongside them, only serving to make the situation even more awkward. She wondered for what felt like the millionth time how she would react when she saw Eddie, and how would he act in return? Would there be an air of awkwardness between them after their near kiss a few weeks ago? Or would he have forgotten all about it and dismissed it as one of those drunken moments that meant nothing?

Hearing the beeping of a horn outside her house, Rachel picked up her weekend bag, checking that all the doors were closed, before setting the alarm, locking up the house and heading towards the car. She was about to find out the answers to at least some of these questions. As she walked down her front path, Eddie emerged from the car and approached her, taking her bag to place in the boot with the rest of the luggage. His breath caught in his throat as he saw this version of Rachel. He had never seen her looking like this before, dressed for a car journey in a lovely light marl grey tracksuit and black Ugg boots, she looked 10 years younger than she did in her work attire. It was a very casual look, but one which he thought she looked beautiful in.

"How have you been?" he asked her quietly, feeling a blush creep on to his cheeks at the thoughts flashing through his mind, making him unable to look her in the eye.

"Fine thanks," Rachel replied, feeling equally as awkward, "just enjoying the time off, chilling out, you know?"

"Great" Eddie responded, "me too… yeah… just chilling, great."

They both turned around, hearing a voice near the front of the car, and found Melissa opening the front passenger door to let Rachel climb into the seat behind her, where she would be spending the journey with Phil.

"Hi Rach!" she greeted her sister enthusiastically, "Looking forward to the weekend?"

"Can't wait yep" Rachel replied, not managing to make her tone of voice quite as enthusiastic as she had hoped, "Can't wait."

Climbing into the car, Rachel greeted Phil and proceeded to question him about his holidays so far, what he had been up to, where he had been, how his friends were, anything she could think of really to avoid having to strike up a conversation with Eddie and Melissa. Eventually though, they ran out of things to talk about, and Phil placed the ear phones from his I-pod back into his ears and averted his attention to the game on the PSP in his hand. This was going to be a long journey.

"So Rach," Melissa began, turning in her seat to face her sister, "You bought a nice fancy new dress for the occasion then?"

"Not really," replied Rachel "I had a look in a few shops but didn't really see anything I fancied, just brought an old faithful little black dress, should do the trick".

Rachel didn't want Melissa to know she had spent practically three days straight in department store changing rooms attempting to find the perfect dress, convincing herself she wanted to look good for the family she hadn't seen in far too long, to show them how well she was doing in her career and how things had taken off for her. It was most definitely not, as she had told herself repeatedly, anything to do with wanting to impress Eddie, nothing at all. She had in the end however plumped for a dress she remembered she already had hidden at the back of the wardrobe, one that she knew enhanced her figure perfectly without looking like she'd tried too hard, and had plumped for just buying some new jewellery to wear with it.

"Me neither," replied Melissa, "Didn't want to make too much of an effort you know."

Both women looked around startled as Eddie let out a rather loud snort.

"Are you joking?" he asked Melissa incredulously, "Don't listen to a word she says Rach, she dragged me around the Trafford centre for an entire day before I left her to her own resorts for the next two days in search of the perfect outfit. And judging by the size of the case I had to heave into the boot she's invested in more than one!"

Melissa giggled and grinned conspiratorially at Rachel,

"Well you never know what might happen at these sorts of do's do you Rach? I wouldn't want to walk into the room and find another woman in the same dress as me, or to find that my outfit completely clashed, or, God forbid, matched yours now would I?"

Rachel felt her stomach lurch at Eddie's response to this;

"Mel don't be ridiculous darling, it wouldn't matter if ten women all had the same dress as you on, you'd still look better than all of them!"

She breathed in sharply, feeling a stabbing pain in her chest as he said this. It was obviously his way of telling her that he and Melissa were as strong as ever, and anything that may have happened between the two of them had meant nothing. Pulling her own I-pod out of her handbag, Rachel told the others that was feeling quite sleepy and was going to try and doze for a while. Placing her head on the cool glass of the window, Rachel put her earphones in and closed her eyes, trying to force her mind to think of anything except him, and the conversations that had just taken place.

The rest of the journey continued in much the same manner; Rachel and Phil were silent in the back of the vehicle, and Melissa was leafing through a small pile of fashion magazines she had brought along for the journey, occasionally spotting a dress she quite liked that she had managed to miss during her mammoth shopping expedition and sighing to herself. Eddie sat behind the wheel and tried to keep his eyes on the road. This was proving difficult however as Rachel's head had lolled back slightly as she had nodded off, placing her square in his line of vision every time he checked his rear-view mirror. She had a small smile fixed upon her face and she looked perfectly content as she slept. Eddie privately thought how beautiful she looked when she was completely relaxed. She very rarely wore that expression in school and it suited her. Whatever she was dreaming about was clearly making her happy.

Finally, after just over four hours of driving, they had made their way through the country lanes on the outskirts of Bristol and Eddie announced their arrival at the hotel. They all stared out of the windows of the car in shock at the sight before them. The hotel was stunning, a very old looking building, set in majestic, well-groomed grounds, in full bloom in the July sunshine. It was beautiful, and a place Rachel privately thought would have been better suited for a wedding than a 70th birthday party. Aunt Gladys was clearly going to be celebrating in style, and Rachel smiled at the thought of her delighted face as she arrived later on and was told the reason they were there. Eddie pulled into a parking space and they all piled out of the car, glad to stretch their legs at last. Taking their luggage from the boot of the car, the four of them made their way up to the hotel, Melissa pulling her huge pink suitcase along behind her and looking frantically at her watch.

"I'm booked in for a massage in twenty minutes," she told the others, "We'd better get checked in quickly."

"Of course mum," Phil replied sarcastically, "we wouldn't want you to miss out on any pampering now would we?"

Just then Phil's phone beeped and he announced to the adults that they would have to check in without him as he was going for a kick about around the back of the hotel where some of his cousins who had already arrived had assembled.

"OK darling," replied Melissa, "Just make sure you come back in plenty of time to get ready for the party won't you. In fact," she continued, eyeing the queue at the check in desk, "I'd better get going myself, looks like we'll be waiting quite a while here, and I really don't want to miss out on any of my treatments, I got a fantastic deal. You two will be ok to sort out the rooms won't you?"

"I suppose so," Rachel replied, trying to keep her tone of voice even whilst simultaneously panicking about being left alone with Eddie. There was no denying that there was a tangible tension between the two of them still and she had no idea what to say to him.

"Thanks you two, your stars." Squealed Melissa, "See you later."

And with that she skipped off in the direction of the spa, leaving Eddie and Rachel standing in the check-in queue with the bags, avoiding each others' gaze and both trying to think of something vaguely intelligent to say to cut through the tension and get some sort of conversation flowing between them.


	9. Chapter 9

Standing together in the seemingly never-ending queue, each lost in their own thoughts of the other, trying to think of some way to break the ice, Rachel and Eddie both turned to each other simultaneously and began to speak.

"So…" they said together, before giggling awkwardly as again they both said "sorry, you first."

Rachel caught his eye and gave a shy smile, as Eddie insisted she speak first. "I don't really know what I was going to say to be honest," she said, then, deciding to take the bull by the horns, she continued, "I just felt something needed to be said to break this unbearable tension, we can't carry on like this all weekend."

Eddie was surprised that she had come right out and said it like that, but he had obviously recognised the atmosphere between them and knew that Phil or Mel would notice something eventually if they didn't sort it out. Rachel already looked more relaxed just through having voiced her concerns to him, so he felt they had better clear the air now while they had the chance. Thinking back to the incident in the nightclub once again, Eddie wondered how to broach the subject. He wanted to apologise to Rachel for his behaviour, they had both had a few drinks that evening and he didn't want her to think that he had been trying to take advantage of her.

"Yeah, about that…" he began, but was at a loss for how to continue. Rachel took a chance and looked questioningly into his eyes. She could see the turmoil going on within them, he obviously felt just as confused as she did. In turn, Eddie returned her gaze and he could have done so forever, drowning in those gorgeous eyes of hers. But this wasn't right, he knew Rachel didn't have any feelings for him, it was almost a year since she had made that clear to him and he really should have got his head around that and been able to stop thinking about her by now. So he continued, the words tumbling from his lips in his eagerness to get them out in the open.

"Look Rach, if this is about the other week, you know, the night out, I'm sorry. I'd had a lot to drink, I don't know what came over me, and it was stupid. I would never want to take advantage of you like that. I'm in a relationship with Melissa after all, and you've made your feelings quite clear to me ages ago. Like I said, sorry, it won't happen again and I hope we can still be friends."

Rachel's heart plummeted at his words and, feeling tears pool momentarily in her eyes, she tore her glance away from Eddie hoping he wouldn't notice. But she hadn't been fast enough and she felt Eddie's hand caress her chin, turning her head to face him once more, looking enquiringly into her eyes and catching a glimpse of the sadness that was pooled within them. Mistaking her reaction for something else, Eddie hastily repeated his apologies, stressing how sorry he was, how he hadn't meant to hurt or offend her, how he hoped they could just forget it had ever happened, but this didn't ease Rachel's feelings any.

"Eddie" she began warily, becoming lost in his concerned gaze once more, now it was she who wished she could look into his eyes for ever, "You're wrong, please don't blame yourself, it's not your fault, that's not the problem, it's just… it's… I mean… I can't…" she stuttered, trying to engage her brain and form a coherent sentence to help her explain what it was she wanted to say. But she couldn't think straight, the intensity of his gaze was making her go weak at the knees, and tears, this time of frustration at not being able to express what she was feeling, threatened to spill over once again.

"Rach," Eddie began again, "Whatever's the matter, come on, calm down, it can't be that bad, talk to me."

"I can't… Eddie, I don't know how to say this, I shouldn't be saying this, I can't…" She stuttered again, still lost in his penetrating gaze, feeling that whether or not she could find the words, the intensity with which he was staring at her would mean he could soon read her thoughts anyway. She took a deep breath and prepared to bare her sole to him, this was becoming too much, it had been brewing up inside of her for weeks now, allowed to fester and slowly take over her mind. She had been thinking of nothing but the man stood in front of her constantly since those few hours they had spent together on the staff night out, she had to tell him how she was feeling, had to know if there was still a chance for them after all this time. But how could she say it?

"Next please," came a loud authoritative voice from somewhere in front of them, but they were still lost in each other's eyes, then, "Excuse me, sir, madam, can I help you?"

Rachel and Eddie had become so caught up in the moment that was just the two of them, that they hadn't noticed the queue of people in front of them at the reception desk had dissipated and it was now their turn to check into the hotel. It took a few seconds still for them to register where they were, before Eddie came to first and stepped forward to confirm their booking and collect the keys to their rooms, the spell that had been woven between them just seconds before well and truly shattered. Rachel spent a few seconds more to composing herself, taking a deep breath and discretely wiping her eyes on the cuff of her jacket. She then clumsily picked up their bags and joined Eddie at the desk, wondering as he had done earlier in the day, what on earth Melissa had felt the need to pack in the huge pink suitcase for just two nights.

"Now this is the key for your room," the lady behind the desk was saying, looking at both Eddie and Rachel as she approached, "and a very lovely one it is too, king size four poster and a lovely view of the gardens, I'm sure you shall enjoy it. And this is the twin for your friends, just across the corridor, equally lovely." The lady had naturally assumed that they were a couple having seen them gazing into each other's eyes just moments before. She handed over the keys and Eddie accepted them, as Rachel felt slightly sick at the thought of Eddie sharing that beautiful room with her sister, standing on their balcony, looking out over the gardens, sharing the four poster bed, while she was stuck in a room across the corridor with Phil. Well she had truly missed her chance to talk to Eddie now. She cursed herself for how close she had come to confessing her true feelings to him, she couldn't allow herself to be overcome like that, mustn't let him know how she was feeling. He had as good as admitted that their little moment a few weeks ago had been purely alcohol driven anyway.

Eddie handed her the keys and, ever the gentleman, picked up all the bags and headed towards the lift refusing to let her carry anything. Rachel didn't think she could stand to be in such a confined space with him after what had just passed between them, and telling him she was going to stretch her legs after all the standing around, she took the stairs and said she would meet him on the fifth floor.


	10. Chapter 10

Rachel paced the length of the room she was to be sharing with Phil. The receptionist had been right; the rooms were beautifully decorated and reminded her of something she had once seen in an old film, the title of which she couldn't quite put her finger on right now. Kind of antique looking without being old fashioned, completely fitting in with the style of the hotel. There were four hours to go until the party was due to start, and Rachel wondered what on earth she was going to do to occupy herself until then. She expected that Melissa would be holed up in the spa for quite some time yet, massages, facials, probably a manicure and pedicure too. Phil would spend the whole afternoon playing football and probably come back to the room to get ready with about 5 minutes to spare, and she couldn't very well spend any time with Eddie with the way things were between them at the moment could she?

Spa treatments had never been Rachel's thing; she considered them a waste of time. If she needed to relax she would put her feet up in front of a good movie with a glass of red wine. That was all the relaxing she needed. Still, the brochure for the hotel spa caught her eye, and she picked it up from the bedside cabinet and leafed through it somewhat disinterestedly. Catching sight of the Olympic sized swimming pool featured on the back cover however, Rachel's interest was captured. That would be a fantastic way for her to burn off some of this nervous energy. After all, she couldn't very well pace the length of this small room for the next four hours, there would be no carpet left! So digging through her small weekend bag, she pulled out her classic black swim suit and towel she had packed just in case the chance arose, as well as her toiletry bag, and made her way down to the gym on the ground through the door to the fitness suite on her way through to the changing rooms, Rachel cursed herself for not having brought her trainers with her. She was a keen runner, and whilst she prepared to pound the pavements whenever possible, the treadmills looked very inviting right now with so much energy to rid herself of. Still, she would soon be diving into the swimming pool, that would give her something to focus on, take her mind off the mass of confusing thoughts that had been swirling around in there ever since she had woken this morning.

Upstairs in the luxury double room opposite Rachel's, Eddie was having similar thoughts. This room was similarly decorated to Rachel and Phil's, but had the added advantage of a king size four-poster and huge French windows leading out onto a balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds of the hotel. Eddie stood there now, staring out across the gardens without really seeing them. His mind was in turmoil once again, thoughts of Rachel plaguing him. What had she been trying to tell him? He had thought that perhaps she would be angry with him for trying to take advantage of her, the way she kept repeating the phrases 'I can't,' 'I don't,' perhaps she wanted to end their friendship now. But when he had stared into her beautiful eyes, that was not the story that the emotions he found swimming there were trying to tell him. He could see confusion, fear and anticipation lurking, all battling for control, each trying to give him some secret message that Rachel was finding so hard to communicate with him verbally.

Eddie sighed deeply and shook himself mentally. He had to stop thinking of Rachel, had to find some way to keep her from constantly invading his thoughts. He was engaged to Melissa, he loved Melissa, didn't he? Taking a few moments to think about this now, on his own out in the fresh July air, he allowed his thoughts to converge on the sister who should be occupying his mind. He and Melissa got on so well, they had ever since they had got over their initial arguments and Eddie had taken her out for a drink. They had fun together, they liked similar films and laughed at the same jokes, but did this mean that he loved her? Eddie wasn't sure any more. His judgement had become seriously clouded over the last few weeks. He cared a great deal for Melissa, but she couldn't even begin to elicit feelings anywhere near as strong within him as Rachel could, feelings which he knew had been constantly simmering just below the surface all year, but had come to the fore on the staff night out a few weeks ago. He recognised now that he was still in love with Rachel, he had just been hiding from the truth all these moths, believing that she had no feelings for him. That was the crucial difference he decided. He loved Melissa for her sweet nature and the ease with which they got on, but he was in love with Rachel, he thought about her constantly, dreamt about her, wanted to be with her every minute of every day. It was an all-consuming passion, which he felt at the moment, was completely ruling his entire existence.

What on earth was he going to do about the situation? It wasn't poor Melissa's fault; she had done nothing but care about both of them. But Eddie realised now that he couldn't stay with her. In the long run, it would be better to hurt her now, get everything out in the open and let her move on, which he was sure she could eventually. He wouldn't tell her the whole truth of course. He didn't think it would be fair to tell her about his feelings for Rachel right away. He needed to relax right now, to clear his head before he could some to a decision about how to handle this. And he had this party to get through tonight with both sisters by his side. Eddie decided the best way to relax would be for him to head downstairs for an hour. He remembered Mel reading the description of the leisure facilities to him from the hotel website and seemed to recall there being a mention of a sauna and Jacuzzi. That sounded like the perfect way to chill out for a while. So locating some suitable clothing and a towel from his holdall, Eddie too made his way downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11

All coherent thoughts had evaded Rachel's mind. As she thrashed up and down the huge swimming pool, she had no time to think of anything except keeping her breathing in time with her fast, powerful strokes. This was just what she needed, something to clear her head completely and stop her stressing out as she had been for weeks now. She felt more herself already and was determined not to stop until she was completely exhausted, to put off having to think again for as long as possible, for she knew when she did, the same thoughts and feelings would come crashing back to once again fill her every waking moment.

Eddie on the other hand was sitting in the sauna, staring into the middle distance. His mind was well and truly occupied with the same thoughts that had been there for the last half an hour or so; what on earth could he do about the Rachel and Melissa situation? He had come to the decision already that to continue his relationship with Melissa wouldn't do any of the three any good. Melissa was happy enough now, but he knew in the long run he couldn't give her the commitment she deserved. As for how on earth he was going to break it off though, he had no idea. He didn't want to hurt her, and got the feeling that walking back to their hotel room to announce he was in love with her sister wasn't going to help him on that mission. And how would Rachel react when she found out? He couldn't exactly go jumping in to a relationship with her five minutes after splitting up with her sister now could he? He wasn't even sure that this would be what Rachel wanted. He knew what a selfless person she was, and how determined she would probably be to sacrifice her own happiness for that of her sister if he so much as mentioned his plan before hand. But he got the feeling from the look in her eyes earlier on in reception, the way she had stumbled over her words, and not been able to explain to him what she wanted to say, he just knew she felt the same way he did. And once he was free to do so, he was definitely going to find a way to coax her feelings out of her, he wasn't just going to fall at the first hurdle this time and settle for second best.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Eddie sighed. This was not helping him to relax at all. He had no idea why he had come into the sauna anyway when he hated them so much. He could never hack more than a few minutes in there before the heat got to him and he began to feel light-headed. So getting up from his seat on the hot wooden bench he decided to try the hot tub instead. Making his way to the outdoor section of the swimming pool where the steam could be seen rising from the outdoor hot tub, he glanced to his left and took in the sight before him. There, looking like she didn't have a care in the world, swimming gracefully up and down the pool as though she may have been born to do so, was the perfect form of Rachel Mason. Eddie's breath caught in his throat and he felt butterflies stir in his stomach as he took in the sight of her, scantily clad in a simple but beautiful black swim suit, her stunning long legs thrashing along behind her in the water, whilst her arms rose gracefully, helping to propel her along. He envied her, looking so carefree whilst his mind was so jumbled, and stood for a long time admiring her athleticism, her skill at this sport being something he hadn't been aware of before.

As Rachel stopped at the far end of the pool and leant on the side gasping for breath, Eddie made a swift exit to the hot tub outside. He didn't want Rachel to catch him staring, indeed he didn't want to see her at all just yet, not knowing how he would react to her having made his decision in his head, but not having put it into action yet. So he sank beneath the bubbles, feeling the combination of these and the steaming hot water begin to relax him instantly, and let his mind drift.

Rachel was still standing where Eddie had last seen her, clutching on to the side of the pool, although her breathing had somewhat calmed now, she was beginning to feel the onset of exhaustion. This was exactly what she had been aiming for; to tire herself out so much that she could no longer think coherently and wouldn't have to worry about her mind being plagued with thoughts of Eddie again. Looking at the clock, Rachel realised she had passed the best part of an hour in the pool. No wonder she felt so tired, it was a long time she had swum so relentlessly for such a long period of time. She calculated however that she had at least another half an hour to kill before she needed to begin getting ready for the party, and decided to treat her tired muscles to a thoroughly relaxing hot tub. Squinting through the window to see through the steam of the outdoor hot tub, she could make out the shape of just one person, so it would not be overcrowded and she could have sometime to chill out and collect her thoughts before the evening began. As she approached the inviting pool of bubbling warm water however, her heart leapt so violently she felt sure it should have left her body, and the butterflies in her stomach once again beat their wings. She realised with an emotion somewhere between terror and excitement that the sole body beneath the water was actually that of the one man she really didn't want to see right now, who she had spent the last hour ridding her thoughts of entirely.

There, eyes closed contentedly, his broad strong shoulders and just a smattering of chest hair all that was visible of him above the water, was Eddie. Rachel stood transfixed and took in the sight of his half naked body, mentally comparing it with the images of him she had seen in her dreams, before shaking herself mentally. He wasn't hers to look at in this manner, she should leave him to it and go and begin her preparations for the party. But she didn't want to, every irrational instinct she possessed was crying out for her to approach him, to lie alongside him in the bubbling depths of the steamy pool before her. As she stood torn in this moment of indecision, it was already too late; Eddie opened his eyes and allowed himself to wordlessly drink in the sight before him. Right now he could not recall ever having seen anyone looking so beautiful. Rachel's swimsuit looked even better close up, clinging to her every curve, with the neckline plunging just far enough to give him a glimpse of cleavage and leave him longing for more.

She caught his gaze and held it for a long moment, trying to determine what he was thinking. Had he really been checking her out just now? She knew he had, could feel his gaze upon her skin, as hot as the water he was lying in. She didn't know what to do or say and so she abruptly turned, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, to leave the pool she had taken more than three steps however, Eddie found his tongue, calling out her name and encouraging her to stay with him, to enter the water and come and speak to him. After a moment's hesitation, Rachel turned around and lowered herself cautiously into the bubbling water of the hot tub, taking care to keep some distance between herself and her deputy. Eddie however had other ideas, and reached out for her arm, pulling her closer to him in the water so he could whisper in her ear and not be overheard.

Rachel gasped at the contact between them and felt the now almost familiar jolt of electricity flood through her at his touch. The combination of this and the assault that the difference between the warm water and cool evening air was having on her senses sent her momentarily dizzy and lost for words. Eddie was feeling the same emotions as Rachel, but he recovered first and knew it was now or never. All his resolve to keep his feelings to himself until he had told Melissa had crumbled to nothing the instant Rachel had stepped into his vision looking divine in her swimsuit. Now he had her so close to him he could resist no longer, he had to talk to her, tell her how he was feeling, pull her close and feel her body next to his.

"Rach," he breathed into her ear as she began to come to her senses, "we need to talk."

"Don't Eddie," she responded instantly, "I can't do this now, I came down here to get you out of my head, to try and force myself to think of anything but you. And it almost worked, I almost managed it. And now I'm here, this close to you, and I just can't do it any more, it's too much, I'm so sorry."

Rachel broke down in tears, the turmoil of thoughts, feelings and emotions that had been plaguing her these last few weeks instantly flooding back, making her feel faint and her eyes fill with tears. Upon seeing this, Eddie pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her and encouraging her to rest her head on his chest.

"Rach," he began again, "please, what you were trying to say earlier, in the lobby, I-"

"No Eddie!" Beginning to panic, she pulled away and interrupted him again. "I was carried away, I was lost in the moment, I didn't even realise what I was saying, I didn't mean-"

Eddie hushed her instantly by placing his hand gently under her chin and forcing her eyes to once again meet his.

"Please don't interrupt me Rach," he whispered, his gaze never leaving hers, trying to penetrate her thoughts and willing her to understand, "can't you see what I'm trying to say? We're beyond explanation now. I know what you were trying to say, I could see it in your eyes, and believe me, I feel it too, I feel exactly the same. And it scares me as much as it scares you. And I know how complicated the whole situation seems, but we can sort it out, we can get through it, I know we can."

"Eddie I…"

But she was lost for words. Silently, he pulled her even closer, his gaze never leaving hers, the hand below her chin moving to cup her cheek as the tears which had been threatening began to spill over and trace their paths down her face. He inched his face closer and closer to hers until she could feel his short breaths on her cheeks, and finally his lips connected with the cool skin of her face, kissing away her tears, trying to communicate everything he felt for her in those feather light touches and reassure her that everything was going to be felt herself melt at the contact. She had imagined this moment so many times, but now she was here, feeling his touch, it was better than she could ever have dreamed. The kisses with which he was peppering her face were forcing her to relax into his touch, whilst the feel of his other arm wrapped around her, beginning to trace reassuring circles on the naked skin of her back beneath the water, was radiating such warmth and electricity that she could hold back no longer. This was all the reassurance she needed right at this moment, Eddie felt the same way she did, there was no doubt in her mind any longer, and leaning back slightly to once again capture his gaze in hers and communicate her comprehension to him, she felt a force as strong as gravity itself pulling her head back towards him.

This time however, it wasn't Rachel's cheeks that Eddie was desperate to kiss, and as their lips connected for the first time, they clung together, arms wrapping tightly around shoulders, backs, waists, wherever they could connect with the body of the other. Each felt as though they were falling through the air, soaring on a tide of pure emotion, pouring every thought and feeling of the last few weeks into that single kiss, finally communicating their feelings to one another. The fact that they were both scantily clad in their swimwear gave instant access to the skin of the other, touching, stroking, caressing, wanting and needing to be close. Limbs entwined as they pulled each other as close as humanly possible, it now impossible to determine the difference between the heat and steam rising from the hot tub, and that emanating from the bodies of the two lovers, clinging desperately to one another beneath its surface. Eddie ran his hands up and down Rachel's back, sides, across her stomach, committing every curve and contour of her beautiful body to memory. She mirrored his actions, feeling the strong muscles of his back and shoulders, running her palms across his well toned chest and back around to entwine her fingers in the curls of dark hair at the nape of his neck. Neither wanted the moment to end.

Eventually, their need for oxygen became too much, and they were forced to tear their lips apart in order to gulp down deep breaths of cold evening air. This short reprieve gave Rachel enough time to come back down to earth and collect her thoughts, and she suddenly felt disgusted with herself. How could she have let this happen? She was sat here half naked with her sister's fiancé, what was she thinking? Eddie saw the change in her immediately and reached for her arm to turn her back to face him and talk about it, but he was too slow. Before he had the chance, she had snatched her arm away, disentangled her limbs from his, and stormed away from the hot tub without a backward glance. He saw her hands subconsciously rising to her lips, where she could still feel the burning sensation of Eddie's administrations upon them. What on earth was she going to do now?


	12. Chapter 12

As Eddie watched Rachel walk away from the swimming pool, he cursed himself for his lack of self-control. He couldn't describe what had come over him in the moment he had seen her stood before him in her understated yet sexy black swimsuit. He just hadn't felt able to hold back any longer, he had to tell her. Although few words had been exchanged between them, it seemed that they were all that were required. The gentle caress of Rachel's lips on his had been all the reassurance he needed that he had guessed correctly, she really did feel the same way he did. As the kiss had deepened and become more passionate, he felt he may have died and gone to heaven. He had never experienced feelings like this before from a single kiss, the feeling of being at one with the other person, like they belonged together, like coming home. As his hands had explored her body beneath the steamy water and he felt her mirroring his actions, it was as thought his skin was on fire, her touch setting his flesh alight, leaving a burning trail behind, which felt so real to him he was convinced others would also be able to see it. Eddie knew one thing for certain; Melissa had never made him feel that way in the whole of the time he had been with her. This just reinforced his decision; he had to end it withher.

It was just a matter of timing now. He obviously didn't want to upset Melissa and ruin the weekend she had been looking forward to so much. The proceedings of the last half hour however were going to make this evening excruciatingly painful for Eddie, having to spend time in a room with the two women in his life, knowing that the one he most wanted to be with and tell the world of his love for would now most probably ignore him for the entire evening. And poor Rachel he knew would be feeling at least as bad as he was, having betrayed her sister so completely. Eddie desperately needed to talk to her and explain his actions, what he had been feeling, and his decision to end it with Melissa. He would have to try and talk to her this evening at some point, reassure her that everything was ok. He just hoped she wouldn't hate him and would wait for him. He just had to be able to talk her around now he knew she so obviously felt the same way hedid.

Rachel meanwhile had dried off and practically run back to her room to escape the situation. Tears clouding her vision, she was completely unaware of anything except the memory of the last half hour, of Eddie's lips on hers, his hands roaming her body, the feelings that had flooded her in those few minutes being some she wasn't convinced she had ever felt before. She had come to her senses however and was now distraught. She could not believe she had acted so recklessly and allowed herself to give into her feelings. This was her sister's fiancé for goodness sake, how could she have allowed herself to get so carried away? It was so unlike Rachel to put her own feelings before those of others, especially her sister.

For the same reason she was also rather angry with Eddie. He had made his own decision months go now when he had asked Mel to marry him, effectively choosing her over Rachel. And now he had committed possibly the ultimate betrayal in his clinch with Rachel in the hot tub. She didn't know how she was going to face either of them tonight. How she would react to being anywhere near Eddie again? And how would she possibly be able to stop Melissa from identifying the guilt that she was sure would be written all over her face? Feeling her tears begin to fall, Rachel turned the corner and approached her room, and was shocked to see Phil sitting on the floor outside.

"Finally!" He yelled as he saw her coming towards her, "I thought you lot had all forgotten about me, where have you been?"

As Rachel walked towards her nephew, she felt her guilt increase ten-fold. Phil didn't deserve to be caught up in all of this; he had had enough upheaval and emotional turmoil in his life without this. He and Eddie got along so well, it seemed to Rachel it would destroy her nephew again if she were to take that away from him. "Rach, what's wrong?" Phil asked, concerned for his aunt as he caught sight of her red puffy eyes,

"Have you been crying?"

"Don't be daft Phil!" Rachel replied, trying to keep her voice level and cheerful as she could, "I've just been for a swim that's all, not used to all that chlorine in my eyes. I'm going to get a shower and try and wash it all away."

Little did Phil know that it was a lot more than the chlorine she would be trying to wash away.

"Fair enough," he replied, "As long as you're ok. Don't be hogging that shower though, we've only got an hour to get ready, I thought you'd be half dressed by now!"

Rachel attempted a laugh at her nephew's banter and apologised for keeping him waiting as she unlocked the room and headed for the bathroom, taking her toiletries and dress bag with her. She hadn't previously considered the fact that she would have to get dressed whilst sharing the room with Phil!

In the shower, Rachel briefly let the tears fall, knowing that no one would be able to see her cry, before attempting to pull herself together, telling herself that she had been looking forward to this night all week. Once she got downstairs into the party, she could spend the evening catching up with all the relatives she hadn't seen in far too long. She could keep her distance from Eddie and Melissa, and try her best to act like nothing had happened. It was for the best, for tonight at least.

Rachel quickly dressed in her beautiful fitted silk black dress, trying hard not to think of the reason she had chosen this one, because she had thought Eddie might like it. She left the bathroom to sort out her hair and makeup and allow Phil to use the shower while she finished getting ready. Half an hour later, they were both ready to go. Phil looked smart in a dark shirt and tie, while Rachel looked immaculate, her hair and makeup done to perfection. The only sign of her inner turmoil was in the slight frown, which still graced her usually smooth forehead. Tonight was going to be difficult, but she would try to stay out of everybody's way and make conversation with the rest of the family instead. Rachel slipped her feet into her towering black heels, grabbed her clutch bag from the dressing table, and she and Phil headed downstairs to meet his mum and her fiancé in the hotel bar.

Eddie and Melissa stood at the bar, drinks in hand, waiting for the other two to join them. Melissa had thoroughly enjoyed her afternoon of pampering and was now definitely in the party mood. From her collection of outfits, she had chosen to wear a bright pink and purple floaty summer dress with matching purple satin shoes and clutch bag. With purple makeup to complete the look and her blonde hair in an elegant up do, she looked very pretty indeed, as Eddie had already informed her several times. This was nothing though compared to the vision that greeted his eyes when Rachel entered the room. His breath caught in his throat and he had to stop himself from choking on his drink when he caught sight of her, her beautiful black dress clinging perfectly to every cure and contour of her body that he still remembered so clearly from earlier. Her hair was in a beautiful sleek auburn frame about her face, and very subtle makeup serving only to accentuate her practically perfect features. Stunning just did not do her justice, Eddie felt his eyes might pop out of his head and had to turn away for fear of her catching him looking.

"Oh my God Rach, you look gorgeous!" Exclaimed Mel as she approached them with her nephew, "And you haven't scrubbed up to badly either Phil. Here, come and get your drinks, we got them in for you."

Rachel avoided Eddie's eyes as much as possible as she walked towards the bar to pick up her drink.

"You look stunning Rach." Eddie breathed just loud enough for her to hear, making chills run down her spine at the huskiness in his tone. She was momentarily stunned, and stood frozen next to him, glancing up at him through her eyelashes, when a sudden hushing sound filled the room and everyone turned to the door in silence. Aunt Gladys had arrived and the surprise party was about to begin.


	13. Chapter 13

And begin it did. Aunt Gladys was absolutely thrilled about her party once she was over the initial shock, and was particularly excited to see her two nieces from up north who she saw very little of these days. Rachel's first thought upon seeing her was how fantastic she looked for her age. She was a typical older lady, grey hair and rosy cheeks. She was quite short but she certainly hadn't lost her willowy figure over the years and had retained her elegant sense of style. She hugged Rachel tightly when she came over to them and asked her how she was, before turning to Mel and repeating the pleasantries. Rachel felt sick to the stomach when Mel introduced Eddie as her fiancé and Aunt Gladys proceeded to ask them lots of probing questions about their relationship. She was quietly pleased to notice that Eddie didn't look any more comfortable than she felt, and must have been squirming inside to have to listen to Mel's gushing after what had happened between them just a few hours ago.

Rachel scanned the room looking for an escape route and was pleased to notice another familiar face standing at the bar talking to a typical tall, dark, handsome man. The first thing that struck Rachel, as it always did upon seeing her cousin Julie, was how she didn't look any different than she had when they were both 21. She still had the same beautiful blonde hair, long legs and flawless skin, of which Rachel had always been jealous during her acne-ridden teenage years. When she saw Rachel approaching, Julie squealed and flung her arms around her, squeezing her tight and proclaiming how wonderful it was to see her. Rachel laughed.

"Nice to see you too," she responded, "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Too long, again!" replied Julie.

"And who do we have here?" Rachel questioned her, turning to the man who was standing next to her at the bar, "You kept this one quiet didn't you?!"

"Oh sorry, Rach this is Oliver, my boyfriend." Rachel noticed Oliver beam when he heard her cousin say this, "Oliver, meet my favourite cousin."

"It's lovely to meet you Rachel." Oliver said with a kiss to her cheek and a smile.

"And look at Mel over there with her fella too," Julie commented looking over to the other side of the room, "He's pretty handsome isn't he! That just leaves you eh Rach? No bloke on the horizon for you?"

She noticed that Rachel's face had dropped and her gaze had turned away momentarily, leaving her wondering why this was such a sore subject.

"There was... well, there is kind of... actually no, probably not any more, though... I don't know Julie. It's complicated I suppose, but in short no, no one at the moment."

Julie heard the slight sadness in her tone, and quickly whispering to Oliver that they were going to sit down and have a girly chat, asking him if he would be ok for a while. When he replied in the affirmative, she quickly steered Rachel to the bar, ensuring she had another nice large glass of wine, before ensconcing them in a quiet corner for a good catch up.

Rachel managed to divert all the unwanted questions about her love life, playing it safe and just saying she was in a complicated situation at the moment and didn't really want to dwell on it at the party. Once the topic of conversation changed and they began to discuss their jobs, friends and the rest of their lives, she managed to take her mind away from the turmoil that had been infested there for weeks and began to relax and enjoy herself more. When the buffet opened a while later, they rejoined Oliver and filled their plates. Rachel hadn't realised how hungry she was, her exertion earlier on in the swimming pool had slipped her mind until now and she was suddenly ravenous. When she turned around however and saw that Julie and Oliver had sat down at a table with Melissa, Phil and Eddie, Rachel's heart sank. So much for avoiding him all night. She had known that at some point Julie would want to speak to Mel, she just hoped by then she would have someone else to speak to and distract her. But there were very few other people in the room who she actually knew, leaving her with no choice but to go over and join their table.

As she approached the table and found that the only spare seat remaining was in between Eddie and Oliver, she was very tempted to turn around and sit by herself in the corner. She couldn't though as Mel noticed her coming and waved her over. Great, she thought, her hands shaking slightly, she really didn't have a choice now.

Glancing at Eddie out of the corner of her eye, she didn't think he had noticed her approaching yet, as he was engaged in conversation with Julie. So Rachel sat down, moving her chair as far away from him as possible, and began to eat her food, her eyes fixed firmly on the plate in front of her. On the other side of her, Oliver and Phil were discussing Phil's favourite topic, football, comparing the merits of his Manchester United with those of Oliver's Arsenal. Rachel knew from experience that these sort of conversations, in which she had no interest whatsoever, could quite easily go on forever!

Eventually, Eddie had had enough of the girly talk and turned away from Melissa and Julie, intending to join in the football conversation going on next to him, and it was only then that he realised with a jolt that Rachel had taken the seat next to him. It didn't look like she'd done it willingly he noted, as she had sat as far away from him as possible without landing in Phil's lap, but it was progress none the less. He had a feeling she had been avoiding him for most of the evening.

"You having a good evening then Rach?" Eddie enquired in an attempt to break the ice between them.

"What do you think?" She responded in an icy whisper, "I'm having a great time playing piggy in the middle with you and Melissa, whilst trying to make out to my family that everything is fine, that I am completely fine."

"And aren't you?" he questioned gently?

"Seriously Eddie, how do you think I'm feeling? Anyway, this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation, I'll just get on with my food and then attempt to talk to Aunt Gladys."

"But Rach, we need to talk, you know we do."

"As I said Eddie, not the time or the place, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure I have anything to say to you anyway."

With that Rachel stood up from the table, tears glistening in her eyes, and turned towards the exit.

"What's up with her?" Phil asked, noticing his Aunt's sudden movement.

"Nothing, just gone to the bathroom I think." Eddie replied, "She'll be back in a while."

Accepting this, Phil turned back to Oliver, and this time Eddie tried his best to join in with the conversation and not arouse suspicion. Rachel was gone for quite a while, walking around the hotel car park trying to calm down and clear her head. Eventually she decided that she should go back, any longer and she would have some awkward questions to field. Upon entering the room, Rachel realised that Aunt Gladys was about to start her speech. She thought that this ought to be quite amusing, and settled herself down at the nearest table so as not to interrupt. She laughed as she always did at the stories her aunt could tell, describing her childhood and teenage years, before moving on to the birth of her daughter and two nieces who had been so close growing up. Rachel became lost in memories of her own for a while, remembering the antics they had got up to, particularly herself and Julie when they had been almost old enough to hit the town and had sneaked into clubs after a hard day at college. Then she remembered with a smile all the times she had been able to rely on her aunt after her mum had thrown her out, for a hug and a meal and even somewhere to sleep in the holidays when necessary. They really had been through some times together over the years.

Looking up, Rachel realised with a start that the dancing had begun whilst she had been lost in her own little world. 'Proper' dance music had been requested and couples were currently trying their best to waltz around the dance floor. Rachel looked on with a grin as Oliver and Julie spun around the floor. He was quite good Rachel noticed as he expertly lead her cousin. Several other couples she didn't recognise were also trying their best to join in. Over at her previous table, Melissa was trying her best to persuade Eddie to dance, but after several minutes with no results, she gave up and headed for the bar. At the end of the song Rachel saw Julie join her and order a round of tequilas. This was sure to get messy!

Deciding that they were probably going to be busy at the bar for a while Rachel debated what should be her next move. Should she go over and join Eddie at the table where he was sat looking awkward with Phil and his cousins, or should she just escape for a while? Mel and Julie were never going to notice her absence after a few of those tequila's she thought, so she'd sit it out for a while longer then leave Eddie and Phil alone and hide in the room. It was the most sensible idea; she couldn't risk being left alone with Eddie. As she sat down at the table however, one of the boys produced a football from under their chair, and they ran outside to avoid the adults and the dancing, leaving Rachel and Eddie well and truly and unavoidably alone.

Sitting as far away from him as possible without looking suspicious, Rachel took a deep breath and wondered what on earth to say to him. Eddie pulled his chair up closer, and briefly brushed his hand against her arm, making the hairs there stand on end. He knew the effect he was having on her as he watched a pretty blush creep up her neck and across her cheeks.

"Rach," he breathed, making her spine tingle at the shortening of her name and his breath on her ear, "Please, talk to me, let me explain how I'm feeling."

"You know what Eddie," she whispered back, trying to keep the quiver in her voice from betraying her emotions, "I really don't care how you're feeling right now. What about Mel? Can you imagine how she would feel if she knew what had gone on earlier? You're meant to be her fiancé for goodness sake, you can't just go around kissing random women you know!"

"You're hardly some random woman Rach, surely you know that, you're special, you're absolutely beautiful, look at you in that dress, I mean..."

But what he meant Rachel was not destined to find out right then, as they both felt a hand on their shoulders and turned round to find Aunt Gladys tugging them towards the dance floor.

"Come on you two love birds, come and show us oldies some moves!" she began with a grin.

"Oh no Auntie Gladys," Rachel replied, the blush returning to her cheeks once more, "Eddie is Mel's partner remember, not mine."

"Nonsense," replied Gladys, "Melissa is too busy at the bar as usual, I'm sure you can accompany each other for this next one, you used to be a good dancer when you were younger Rachel!"

"Looks like we don't have a choice," said Eddie with a grin, "Come on Rach, let's show them how it's done, Mel won't mind."

And with that his arm was slipped round her waist as he steered her towards the dance floor.

"I didn't realise you knew how to dance Eddie," Rachel said, trying to relax so as not to look too awkward to any on lookers, which was proving extremely difficult as Eddie snaked his left arm to join his right around her waist and puller her close.

"I don't," he replied, "I'm relying on you for this one I'm afraid."

"Eddie I haven't danced in years, no make that decades," Rachel retorted, "And anyway, the man is supposed to lead, this is a bad idea, let's sit down."

"Rach, relax, you're not going anywhere now I've got you." Eddie tightened his grip round her waist and she knew there was no escape now.

"I can't believe you Eddie!" Rachel hissed into his ear as they swayed together to the music, I was supposed to be avoiding you tonight, I can't be close to you like this, don't you see?"

"Well how else am I supposed to get you to talk to me? You can't just hide away from me after what happened earlier Rach, we need to talk, surely you can see that?"

"I just don't get you Eddie, you're marrying my sister for goodness sake, you just cheated on her, I would be mad at you if you had done that with anyone, but with me, how on earth do you think that makes me feel?"

"Rach I'm so sorry, what do you want me to say? This is you, that's the whole point, can't you see that?"

He began to trace circles along her lower back with his finger tips, making her go weak at the knees. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean Eddie?" She was becoming hysterical now, her voice beginning to rise, "Can't you see that makes it worse? This is my sister were talking about, this can't happen."

With that Rachel could take no more. Pulling from his grip she fled the room as quickly as she could without drawing further attention to herself.


	14. Chapter 14

Rachel looked around and wondered what to do for the best. She couldn't go back into the party tonight; she couldn't face being in the same room as Eddie any longer. She knew he was right, they were going to have to talk this over at some point, but she was still convinced that now was definitely not the time. Spying a comfortable looking armchair in a secluded corner of the lobby, she sank down there gratefully to collect her thoughts. Completely fed up of her emotions being in such turmoil, Rachel desperately wanted to get her head clear and sort the whole mess out. Realising that she was getting nowhere fast, she decided to head outside to the car park for a short walk before going to bed.

Eddie meanwhile stared after her as she bolted from the room. He could understand how Rachel was feeling, but after having made his own decision earlier on in the afternoon, he really needed to discuss it with her and ease her fears. Glancing over to the bar and realising that Melissa was going to be absorbed in her drinking competition for some time yet, he decided to go and look for Rachel. After searching the lobby and the bar area with no luck, he began to wonder whether she had already headed upstairs, but as he made his way to the lifts near the entrance, he caught sight of a familiar auburn head in the corner of the car park.

Rachel had her back to him and was sitting on a low wall looking out over the grounds of the hotel as Eddie approached. The gardens looked beautiful, with small lights hidden in the flower beds, giving an overall ethereal glow to the place. A light breeze ruffled Rachel's hair and blew it away from her face, giving Eddie a glimpse of the tears glistening on her cheeks. Eddie sat down next to her on the wall, facing the opposite way, and Rachel jumped slightly, having been too lost in her thoughts to notice his approach.

"Hey Rach," he began softly, longing to reach out and brush away her tears, "Please don't cry, I really don't want you to feel upset about this. Look, it's all my fault, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've made a decision. But I would like to discuss it with you first and foremost, before anyone else. Will you hear me out?"

"Eddie, it shouldn't be me that you say these things to, why don't you seem able to understand that today?" Rachel responded sadly, "It's Melissa you're marrying, it's her who you should discuss important decisions with, not me!"

"You know you couldn't be further from the truth there Rach. Ever since we broke up from school you've been constantly on my mind. Since the end of term do, that moment in the club, I know you felt it too. I just feel so drawn to you, and it's been going on much longer than that if I'm truthful. And whilst I've suspected for a while now that you may feel the same way, I couldn't be sure. Not until this afternoon. I'm sorry Rachel, but there is no way you could have kissed me back in that hot tub the way you did this afternoon if you weren't feeling the same way."

The tears were now pouring freely down Rachel's face as she listened to Eddie's sincere words. She knew she had felt exactly the same way this afternoon, had been having the exact same thoughts about him all summer as he had about her. She wanted so much to reach out to him and let him envelope her in his strong arms, take away all the turmoil for her, but of course there was still one issue, her sister.

"Ok Eddie, so what if I said that you are exactly right, you've got it spot on. All I have been able to think about for the whole of the holidays so far is you. You're all I've thought about for most of the year, since I stupidly turned you down on my very first day back. But there is still the small matter of you being my future brother in law. I can hardly expect you to drop everything, dump your fiancée and run away with her sister now can I?"

"Yes... Yes you can Rach. That is exactly what you can expect from me. That's what I'm trying to say. The thing with Mel, the whole relationship, I thought we could be happy together. We get on really well, we make each other laugh, share some interests, you know? I thought I had completely missed my chance with you, and that I could be happy with her for the rest of my life. Things moved a little quickly I'll admit, with the engagement and everything. But with you Rach, it's just completely different. We aren't even together, and you still manage to consume my every waking thought. I know it's wrong, but lately I've been comparing everything Mel does, everything she and I do together, with what it would be like with you. It's so different with you Rach, I mean I love Melissa, I have enjoyed being with her in the past, Phil too. But I'm not in love with her. I can't be in love with her when I am in love with someone else. You stole that part of my heart a long time ago, and without that I can never give myself fully to Melissa. It's you I am in love with Rach, completely and utterly. It's you I want; no make that need, to spend the rest of my life with. I just don't know how I'll cope otherwise."

"I can't let you do this Eddie. I can't let you do that to my sister. It will break her heart. She thinks the world of you, I know she does. It would kill her if you left her. And if you left her for me, well, that would be worse still, she wouldn't have anyone left."

Eddie turned Rachel slowly to face him and took her hands in his.

"I knew you would feel like this Rach, you're far too selfless for your own good. But please just think of yourself for a moment, think how happy we could be together if we allowed ourselves. I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of forever showing you just how much. And nothing you can say can change my mind on this now. There's no way I could stay with Melissa knowing that I feel this way about you. Allow yourself some happiness for once Rach, please let me make you as happy as I know you will make me."


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel was lost for words. Staring deep into Eddie's eyes, she could see the intensity and the sincerity there, and she certainly couldn't deny that he meant every word he was saying to her. Tears continued to cascade down her flushed cheeks, and Eddie could bear to see her like this no longer. Letting go of one of her hands, he brought his own to her face, wiping away as many of her tears as he could. She felt the rough skin of his thumb brushing her cheek, leaving a tingling trail behind, which only served to intensify Rachel's longing for the man sitting before her. His words had touched her deeply, and his touch was so affectionate, so caring, she knew he really did care for her. He really wanted her to be happy, for them to be happy together. She could feel her resolve crumbling, an almost magnetic force was pulling her head nearer to Eddie's, their gazes still locked on each others. Each of them silently testing the resolve of the other, trying to gauge how they were really feeling.

When their lips finally locked together moments later, they were still staring into each other's eyes, neither wanting to close them for fear the other would disappear. Rachel finally gave in first, giving herself completely to Eddie, allowing her fingers to roam through his hair, pulling his head closer to her, completely overcome with emotion, feeling almost as though she could consume him in that one kiss.

As her mouth opened slightly, granting Eddie the access he craved, they breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief as their tongues met and began to dance together. They were finally breathing the air they had been craving all day, and this time neither of them felt able to stop there.

Eddie rose gradually to his feet, pulling Rachel into an upright position next to him, and drawing her body closer to his. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her dress, desperately craving the feel of her skin on his. Rachel reciprocated, untucking his unusually smart shirt from his trousers and tracing the line of his spine with her silky soft touch. The alcohol both had consumed this evening was just enough to remove some of their inhibitions without compromising their sensibility; they both knew what they wanted to happen next.

As Rachel allowed her hands to trace further down Eddie's body, stroking the skin of his taught abdomen, towards the buckle of his trousers, Eddie let out a small moan, his own hands venturing further beneath Rachel's dress, causing her knees to quiver as she wondered how much longer she could remain standing. They were brought to their senses by the sound of a cheer from around the corner, and looked up to see one of Rachel's nephews chasing a football in their direction.

"Crap Eddie," she hissed to him, "That could have been Phil coming, he could have seen us!"

"Sshh," Eddie soothed, rubbing her back in comforting circles, "Don't panic, it wasn't, and he wouldn't have noticed us anyway, they're too caught up in their football! Do you have your room key Rach?"

"I do yes," she replied, "But Eddie, I really don't think I can go up there with you tonight, I won't be able to keep my hands off you, not after the little taster you just gave me! And seriously, until you prove to me you are serious and you sort things out with Mel, I can't let this go any further. I mean, I trust you, don't get me wrong. I'm glad this is out in the open between us, and you know that I love you, but I absolutely refuse to go behind her back. If we're going to do this properly, you need to tell Melissa."

"Excuse me Miss Mason, but did you just tell me you love me?" Eddie asked, his mouth hanging open in both surprise and delight.

"You better believe it Mr Lawson," she replied with a small grin, holding both of his hands in hers and staring deeply into his eyes that were overflowing with emotion. "But seriously Eddie, you need to tell her, and make it soon. I don't think I can keep my hands off you for much longer!"

Rachel then turned her back on Eddie and began to walk back towards the hotel, but before she had taken more than half a dozen steps he was by her side again.

"Come on now Rach, you don't seriously think I would let the woman I love walk back to her room in the dark all by herself do you?"

"Thanks Eddie," she replied feeling her cheeks flush brightly in the dark as a huge grin lit up her face at his words. They fell into step next to each other as they entered the building and headed for the lifts.

Standing in the enclosed space waiting for the lift to reach their floor, Eddie could not resist leaning in for one last soul consuming kiss before leaving her for the night. This kiss was much more passionate than before, both of them trying, in the few seconds they had left before the lift reached its destination, to communicate all the feelings and passion that the events of today had built up within them. Rachel could feel desire welling up inside her as their tongues clashed together, fighting for dominance, each determined to outdo the other and prove the strength of their feelings. Once again, their hands began to roam each other's bodies, leaving fiery trails in their wake across the others skin. But just as Rachel felt she could resist removing his shirt no longer, an electronic sounding voice announced they had reached their destination, and they quickly straightened their clothes, wanting to leave the lift looking presentable.

As they approached the door to Rachel's room, she inserted the key card into the lock, before turning to Eddie.

"You don't know how much I want to invite you in here right now and forget the rest of the world even exists Eddie. But it does, and I need you to talk to Melissa before this goes any further. Tell her tomorrow when we get home. If you want me to be there with you then I absolutely will, but I think it will be better coming from you. So I'm going to go to bed now. Will you take this key back down with you please and give it to Phil? I don't want the poor lad getting locked out again!"

"Will do Rach," he responded, glad that taking the key gave him one last tiny opportunity to brush his skin against hers. He stared deeply into her eyes one last time, and could see the emotion swimming there, see the love that he felt for her mirrored in her eyes. "I love you Rachel Mason," he whispered with a grin, "Everything will be ok, I promise." He kissed her slowly and lovingly on her cheek, lingering for just a moment longer, committing her scent to memory, before turning on his heel and walking back towards the lifts to search out Phil and see whether Melissa was still standing, or whether the tequila had finally got the better of her.


End file.
